1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for securing a cleat attached to a shoe to a bicycle pedal, and more particularly to an apparatus including a front engaging device and a rear engaging device arranged with a cleat bearing surface therebetween in a fore and aft direction of the pedal for engaging the cleat.
2. Description of the Related Art
A known bicycle pedal having an apparatus as noted above is disclosed in European Patent Publication EP-0,353,169, for example. This pedal comprises a pedal body divided into a front part attached to a crank shaft or pedal shaft, and a rear part connected to the front part, to be pivotable on a pedal plane. The front part includes a front engaging device fixed thereto, while the rear part includes a rear engaging device pivotable in a fore and aft direction of the pedal which is perpendicular to the pedal shaft. The rear engaging device is urged by a spring in a direction to engage the cleat. Since the rear part is pivotable with the rear engaging device relative to the front part about a point adjacent the front engaging device, the cyclist, can turn his or her foot right or left on the pedal surface together with the cleat and the rear part of the pedal.
In the above construction, however, the pivotable rear part of the pedal forms part of the pedal tread, and is therefore subjected to a strong treading force during a run. The strong treading force produces a great frictional resistance in a slide portion between the front part and rear part during their relative pivotal movement, and this resistance hampers the pivotal movement. To reduce the frictional resistance in the slide portion requires a large and complicated construction resulting in a high manufacturing cost.
Furthermore, once the rear part has made a pivotal movement, no restoring action takes place to return the rear part to an original position. Such a restoring force is applied solely by the cyclist intentionally twisting his or her foot. The great frictional force is problematic in this case too.